By John Dodge

CHICAGO (CBS) -- When it comes down to actually watching the Stanley Cup Final, Chicago totally dominated on Wednesday night.

In Tampa, Game 1 produced a 17.9 rating, which is good, for them.

The Lightning's Game 7 Eastern Conference Final victory over the New York Rangers netted an 11.9.

In Chicago, the numbers were colossal.

The 27.2 rating here was the third-best NHL number on NBC, behind the pair of Game 6 wins that produced Stanley Cup titles for Chicago in 2010 and 2013.

At the end of the game in Chicago, the rating spiked to a 36, meaning that about 1.3 million households were tuned in to watch the Blackhawks rally for the 2-1 victory.

On average, over the course of the game, about 1 million fans were watching.

The ratings also show how interest in the team has grown since the first Stanley Cup in 2010.

Among adults 25-54 years old, Game 1 delivered a 20.1 rating, which is up 8 percent from Game 1 in 2013 (18.7) and 38 percent from Game 1 in 2010 (14.6).

The NHL (and NBC) must be thankful that Chicago's fan base is so deep.

Nationally, the game turned in a 4.23 overnight rating, the second-best Game 1 on NBC.

The best one?

The Blackhawks-Bruins triple-overtime epic in 2013, won by Chicago 4-3.

And it's only Game 1.